Private Dam Holding Up Rebuilding of Flood Damaged Road

One road in Lexington has been out since the flood of 2015 and part of the reason to blame is a private dam.

Author:
Nic Jones

Published:
12:30 AM EDT August 12, 2017

West Columbia, SC (WLTX) - One road in Lexington County is still closed from the October Flood because of a private dam.

Wilton Road has been closed since October 4, 2015 from the flood. It is one of the seven roads that were damaged and unregulated. Usually, DHEC regulates private dams, but this case is a little different. The South Carolina Department of Transportation has been working on the project with the community.

Michael Pedro lives in West Columbia and has to detour his life around Wilton Road.

"It's just been misery incorporated to tell you the truth. Why aren't these people fixing it? I know it's cost prohibitive but I'm kind of not sympathetic to that. When you own property, that's part of the bill," explained Pedro.

Another portion of the road is out because they are fixing the bridge that passes over I-26. Adding all of that makes Vicky Smith's life that much more difficult she said.

"I probably will be moving if some of this stuff doesn't soon get fixed because like I've said, it's real inconvenient," said Smith.

The hold up doesn't leave SCDOT to blame because at this time, it's up to the owners of the dams to fix it before they start working on the road. If the dam's structure was weak and washed out again, rebuilding the road would be a waste of tax payer's money.

Pedro just wants something to be done so the rest of the community doesn't have to suffer.

"You know people need to step to their responsibility and fix it," said Pedro.

The bridge over I-26 near Rainbow and Wilton Road is expected to be replaced by April of 2018. As for where the dam is located on the road, there has not been a timetable set in place for its repair.